teary
Americanadjective
-
characterized by, covered with, or secreting tears
-
given to weeping; tearful
Other Word Forms
- tearily adverb
- teariness noun
Etymology
Origin of teary
First recorded in 1325–75, teary is from the Middle English word tery. See tear 1, -y 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Honestly, the panic attacks I had were horrible and scary and messy and teary and devastating, and…No thank you.
From Literature
“I’ve never been to one of these where people weren’t teary,” said Jernagan, whose firm holds more than 30 reveals a year.
When he had to explain the situation to his students, he says he was greeted with a lot of confusion and many teary eyes — as the community undergoes another unprecedented change.
From Los Angeles Times
The character has a scrap of backstory in a photo of his dead wife and kids, pathos that Tommila’s weary, teary blue eyes hit a little too hard.
From Los Angeles Times
He may in fact still be in the Ray Dolby Ballroom, listening to people tell him giddy and sometimes teary stories of when they first saw him in a movie.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
